Jet engines can produce a high noise level if the velocity of the mass flow exiting the engine is non-uniform and high. For performance considerations, jet engines often have multiple nozzles with the mass flow exiting each nozzle at a different velocity. Since noise radiating from a jet""s exhaust increases with the intensity and non-uniformity of the exhaust velocity, jet noise reduction concepts have historically focused on methods for rapidly mixing the flows and achieving a uniform velocity within a short distance of the nozzles.
Various flow-mixing devices have been employed in the past to achieve a uniform velocity within a jet""s exhaust and to reduce the noise radiated from the exhaust flow. While those devices have been successful at reducing jet noise, the thrust, drag, and weight penalty associated with those devices have often been of a magnitude that the noise at constant aircraft performance has not been reduced. During the NASA Advanced Subsonic Transport (AST) Program (reference 1) sharp pointed, triangular shaped, extensions added to the sleeve of an external plug primary nozzle were tested and were found to reduce jet noise. A. D. Young et al (U.S. Pat. No. 3,153,319, reference 2) also developed extensions that when added to the trailing edge of nozzles reduced jet noise.
The primary difference between the above-described prior art and the hereinafter described invention is the rounding of the upstream intersection of the extensions with the nozzle and the rounding of the extension""s trailing edge. Rounding has been found to enhance the reduction of low frequency noise while inhibiting an increase in high frequency noise. Increased high frequency noise has been a characteristic of the previous sharp edged devices even though they have reduced low frequency noise and have had a net acoustic benefit.